The Turtle Hypodermic

Why I sometimes fall down in despairing laughter:

“I titled one of my books about our educational debacle The Turtle Hypodermic of Sickenpods, based on an initially mysterious phrase in a student’s essay by which, as I discovered after long consultation, he meant to say ‘the total epidemic of psychopaths.’ (This is a true story.)” – David Solway

“The legend of our times, it has been suggested, might be “The Revenge of Failure”. This is what Envy has done for us. If we cannot paint well, we will destroy the canons of painting and pass ourselves off as painters. If we will not take the trouble to write poetry, we will destroy the rules of prosody and pass ourselves off as poets. If we are not inclined to the rigors of an academic discipline, we will destroy the standards of that discipline and pass ourselves off as graduates. If we cannot or will not read, we will say that ‘linear thought’ is now irrelevant and so dispense with reading. If we cannot make music, we will simply make a noise and persuade others that it is music. If we can do nothing at all, why! we will strum a guitar all day, and call it self-expression. As long as no talent is required, no apprenticeship to a skill, everyone can do it, and we are all magically made equal. Envy has at least momentarily been appeased, and failure has had its revenge.”
― Henry Fairlie (1924 – 1990)

What depressing thoughts on the week before Christmas!

So I will fight against them and continue the struggle to write Tying the Knot while pretending it matters.

Whoa, dark thoughts indeed. I wrote the above this morning, but I’m feeling much more chipper this evening (it’s Monday). Maybe it’s the influence of our cat Java, who has been very insistent on being cuddled and stroked all day. Nothing like a loving animal to soothe the savage breast.